Sam Amico
Some people will tell you that A&W Root Beer and M&M’s go together.
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But for now, it seems, they may be at odds.
At the very least, they are having some fun — as A&W took a dig at M&M’s for announcing that it was temporarily retiring their incredibly popular characters, or “spokes candies,” in favor of Saturday Night Live alum Maya Rudolph.
A&W then made an announcement of its own, revealing that its own mascot, Rooty the Great Root Bear, will now be sporting pants.
A Message From A&W
“America, let’s talk. Since 1963, Rooty the Great Root Bear has been our beloved spokesbear,” the company tweeted. “We knew people would notice because he’s literally a 6-foot-tall bear wearing an orange sweater. But now we get it — even a mascot’s lack of pants can be polarizing.
“Therefore, we have decided that Rooty will wear jeans going forward. Not to worry thought: he will remain our official spokesbear. After all, he is un-bear-ably cute and im-paw-ssible to replace. We are confident Rooty will continue to champion good food & good times for many years to come…now in denim.”
As for M&M’s, Rudolph will be the official new “Chief of Fun” on Super Bowl Sunday, the company announced. It appears the M&M characters will be on hiatus indefinitely.
“America, let’s talk. In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies,” M&M’s announced. “We weren’t sure if anyone would even notice. And we definitely didn’t think it would break the internet. But now we get it — even a candy’s shoes can be polarizing. Which was the last thing M&M’s wanted since we’re all about bringing people together.
“Therefore, we have decided to take an indefinite pause from the spokescandies. In their place, we are proud to introduce a new spokesperson America can agree on: the beloved Maya Rudolph. We are confident Ms. Rudolph will champion the power of fun to create a world where everyone feels they belong.”
